Catalina 309 or 310?

[sigbear]

I will be looking to purchase a used 2005+ Catalina 309 or 310 in the spring of 2010.

In looking at the speck for these boats they are virtually the same. Both boats are:
LOA 31"
LWL 26.6
Beam 11'6"
Draft 4'4"

Thats where the similarities end. The 310 is 500lbs. heavier, 400 of that is in the keel and the engine is 26 HP for the 310 and 21 for the 309 and from what I have read the 310 has larger gear on deck.

I know the 310 interior was designed for a cruising couple, but other than that, how do they differ in construction strength, sailability,etc.?

Donny

 

[valcour]

I have never sailed on a 309. The construction, strength, etc is likely almost identical, but with the 309 gaining a few tweaks learned from the 310 production run. A few differences I know of are that the 310s all had an anchor windlass standard, and had two 4D batteries standard (many of us have paralleled these and added a third starting battery to deal with the fridge load), the primary sheet winches are lewmar #44 two speeds on the 310 and only #40s on 309. It probably boils down to how big your family is, and how you will use the boat. The 309s likely all have roller furling mains, while most of the older 310 will have slab reefing. The 26 HP motor doesn't have any problem pushing the 310 with a 3 blade prop into steep chop, and others could probably speak for the folding props. The 309 stern ladder/cockpit gate is a much better design than on the 310, and you can easily walk through the transom if you are at a pier with your ladder up, which is cumbersome on the 310. It would interesting to dual post this thread on the 309 forum and see what you hear from that side.

 

[sigbear]

I'll do that.

 

[jonfreeman]

Wife and I didn't like the 309 layout near as much as the 310. You may feel otherwise. I subscribe to the belief that the boat's gotta feel right to YOU for it to be a lasting relationship. Layout and miscellaneous features are somewhat meaningless in light of how you and the admiral enjoy the boat while you are using it (under way AND not).

FWIW

Jon

 

[jonfreeman]

Valcour -

Where did you install your start battery? Was it a series 24?

Jon

 

[Valcorr/Jfreeman]

Valcor/Jfreeman

Someone brought up a good point that I overlooked, the 309 has a Yanmar engine and the 310 has a Universal engines, how these compare in reliability, maintnance etc.

Donny

 

[rpwillia]

The 309 is cheaper to make and designed to be nostalgic

... and remind buyers of the old Catalina 30. The boats are designed to appeal to people who remember the Catalina 30's. I personally like my 310 a lot more than the 309 from every perspective of the layout. The forward cabin on the 310 is really nice and the 309's sleeping accommodations leave a lot to be desired. Then you can couple in the hard foam mattresses on the 309 vs the 310's innerspring matters and you have a real difference in comfort. One other poster mentioned the differences in sizes for the engines and the gear topside - those make the 309 a little cheaper. Look at the 309 floors (are they plastic?) as composed to the faux wood on the 310 - still nicer.

The 309 with it's different keel configuration is a bit nicer though.

Both were designed for two very different markets.

 

[MarkZ]

While you concider the winch size on the 309 is a bit smaller you should keep in mind that the 309 is a fractional rig and therefore the smaller winch should accomodate the smaller headsail. However, when the time comes to have to kedge off, I wouldn't want a wench any smaller than what we have on our 310's!

Sigbear, it looks like you roam around the Ky Lake area. That is where I have my 310. Let me know if you would like to take a look at my boat. We should be there on the weekend of Aug. 1st.

 

[sigbear]

Markz

Thank's for the invite to look at your boat on 8/1, however, I live on the east coast and won't be going to Marshall county until 8/22 - 8/29.

My wife and I have been sailing Kentucky lake from 1993 - 2001. We would charter sailboats from Marty at Lighthouse Landing for 2 weeks at a time. Lighthouse stopped chartering the big sailboats aroun 2001, so depressing.

I would love to take you up on your offer to see your boat if you are available the week of 8/22.

I am trying to learn as much about the 310 as I can.

Thanks again

Donny

 

[valcour]

start battery

Start battery will fit inboard of the two existing batteries, but you have to wrestle the 4Ds out first. Not to hijack this thread, check here: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=104505
http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=96024

There have been many issues with the universal M25xpbc due to excessive engine vibration at low RPMs such as hose chafe, heat exchanger leaks, wires shaken loose, etc. Some have just set the idle revs quite high. I find that I have to shift into neutral and then rev it up to get beyond the engine shake point when maneuvering with only steerage way. It is something you can easily get used to. There is also a revised heat exchanger bracket available, and the hose/wiring issue can be controlled with a good visual inspection on a regular basis. The yanmar reportedly was the fix for the universal vibration problem, but IMHO the interior layout on the 310 outshines any engine shake issues.

 

[valcour]

Re: start battery

I noticed above that the 309 was fractional rigged. Looking at the Catalina website it appears to be 15/16. If you want some of the numbers that are no longer there for the 310, it was I=42'9", J=11'9", P=37'3", E=13' mainsail is 242 sq ft, main plus 100%=493 sq. ft. SA/disp= 16.24 fin, 18.96 wing, D/L 256.68 fin, 238.9 wing. Bottom line is I would love to swap the rig on my 310 for a 309 rig and a slab reefing main sail, but I wonder if the stick is a foot and a half taller on the 309 to get that P=38.75 or is the boom is lower?
If you sail in an area with charistically light winds (such as the Chesapeake bay in summertime), by the numbers the 309 should perform a little better, but the numbers always lie.

 

[MarkZ]

Sigbear, at this time we're not planning to be at KY lake on the weekend of 8/28. We're planning to be there the week before and the week after. But if our plans change I'll let you know.

Mark